Premiere Party: Saturday, February 3, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission to the premiere is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for students and members. The exhibition will be on view February 3, 2018 through June 17, 2018.
Since the 1930s, film and animation studios have played a leading role in the lives of many California artists and have been influential in the development of what is recognized as the “California Style.” Nowhere is this more evident than within the Santa Paula Civic Collection, a historic collection of artworks established in 1937 and owned by the City of Santa Paula. Setting the Scene will display some of the best works from Santa Paula’s collection. They include breathtaking oil and watercolor paintings by Disney background painters like Al Dempster, Basil Davidovich and Charles Payzant, who lent their talents to animated features such as Fantasia, Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty. The exhibit also stars artists like George Gibson, once head of MGM’s scenic design department and lead scenic artist for The Wizard of Oz, and Emil Kosa, Jr., who designed the oft-seen 20th Century Fox logo and won an Academy Award in 1964 for his work on Cleopatra.
“The Loop” by Emil Kosa, Jr., 1948, watercolor on paper, Collection of the City of Santa Paula
The colorful exhibition will explore the relationship between the artists’ fine art paintings and their commercial work for film. Viewers will learn more about the history of painting in motion pictures, the process of creating an animated feature, special effects, and the people behind some of the most iconic movie scenes ever filmed. Examples of contemporary animation will show how the industry continues to inspire California artists today. Visitors to the exhibit will also be invited to write or illustrate a scene from their own story to add to an interactive storyboard. Setting the Scene will be on view through June 17, 2018.
“Scotch Piper” by Stewart Robertson, 1946, oil on canvas, Collection of the City of Santa Paula.
The Santa Paula Art Museum, Jeanette Cole Art Center is located at 117 North 10th Street in historic downtown Santa Paula. The Museum features rotating exhibitions of vintage and contemporary art, educational programming for children and adults, artist talks and demonstrations, a gift shop and more. Regular admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors, and is free for students and museum members. For more information, please contact the Museum at (805) 525-5554 or visit the Museum’s website at www.santapaulaartmuseum.org.